Abstract

Using molecular dynamics simulations of a coarse-grained model of the charged apo-hemoglobin protein complex, this work expands upon our initial report [S. K. Fegan and M. Thachuk, J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 25, 722–728 (2014)] about control of dissociation channels in the gas phase using specially designed charge tags. Employing a charge hopping algorithm and a range of temperatures, a variety of dissociation channels are found for activated gas-phase protein complexes. At low temperatures, a single monomer unfolds and becomes charge enriched. At higher temperatures, two additional channels open: (i) two monomers unfold and charge enrich and (ii) two monomers compete for unfolding with one eventually dominating and the other reattaching to the complex. At even higher temperatures, other more complex dissociation channels open with three or more monomers competing for unfolding. A model charge tag with five sites is specially designed to either attract or exclude charges. By attaching this tag to the N-terminus of specific monomers, the unfolding of those monomers can be decidedly enhanced or suppressed. In other words, using charge tags to direct the motion of charges in a protein complex provides a mechanism for controlling dissociation. This technique could be used in mass spectrometry experiments to direct forces at specific attachment points in a protein complex, and hence increase the diversity of product channels available for quantitative analysis. In turn, this could provide insight into the function of the protein complex in its native biological environment. From a dynamics perspective, this system provides an interesting example of cooperative behaviour involving motions with differing time scales.

Supplementary Material:The supplementary material consists of three videos showing trajectories for different types of dissociation behaviour: (1) one monomer chain unfolding, (2) two monomer chains unfolding, and (3) two monomer chains initially unfolding with one eventually reattaching to the complex. The names of the files connote the behaviours.

Acknowledgments:

All computations were performed using WestGrid computing resources, which are funded in part by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Alberta Innovation and Science, BC Advanced Education, and the participating research institutions (www.westgrid.ca).